151....and maybe not!!!!!

A quick update on the repair and rebuild of the Tight Fit slingshot........not everything always goes according to plan, they certainly don't with us anyway, When Steve bought the car back from having the chassis sorted out by Wayne Colliver her noticed a small puddle of oil under the car, seeing that there is no engine or transmission in the car the only other culprit was the rear axle. With the axle removed and scrutinised, Steve found a crack on the bottom of the axle where the protection plate bolts on. A bit strange as the axle hadn't hit anything when loaded or unloaded form the trailer. So now we have another problem.

Our axle is a Chevy 10 bolt jobbie as once used by  top fuel cars in the past but its not the axle of choice these days, that's long been the 9inch Ford they are not interchangeable due to the position of the prop shafts. This is a dilemma do we look for a replacement which is going to be a long search or could the axle be repaired. "We know a man who can" enter Jim and his welding gear and...one repaired axle, thanks Jim. This held us up a bit. Next the chassis needed rubbing down again and repainting so hours of dust and red hands later with the help of friends the chassis was sprayed...but the paint reacted with something this time and came out all bubbly...not good!

Steve phoned a powder coating company in his area that had a tank big enough for the chassis, the guy was on holiday phone back later which Steve did and he got the run-around. So Plan B get someone else to paint it as Steve had giving up trying to get it to look good while trying to paint it in the back of the trailer. So this afternoon Monday 13th the chassis was taken to paint booth in Cirencester.

There is still a lot of work to be done and time is slipping away so it is beginning to look like the Nostalgia Nationals will come around too quick...maybe! So looking forward to the odd Run what you brung and Dragstalgia. Fingers crossed.

150 Maybe just maybe!!

Another year just zooms past in an instant, I spent last year watching all the races on the live feed, thank you "Santa Pod", just wishing I could just have one last race, but after finding out that it was not only a buckled motor plate that was stopping us from racing but also the chassis was bent and twisted, so my dream of one more race looked like it was never going to happen. Steve however! never gives up  on anything easily and earlier this year started looking at ways of trying to get back to the track but with the cost of living rising faster then Keir Starmer's record of failures it didn't look too good. Both Dave and myself had resigned ourselves that our racing days are probably over. We have had a lot of help from people over the last few weeks even Mike Waters made us another motor plate which because of the bent chassis didn't quite fit.

That was until a phone call to fellow "Wild Buncher" and all round good guy Wayne Colliver, who agreed to take a look at the car as soon as his boss agreed to it and when he has time, as he was snowed under with work at the time of the call. A few weeks later the call came though to bring the car to him so Steve with help from his mate Moss, loaded the car on to the back of a flat bed truck thanks to Moss's boss for the loan of the truck without which the car wouldn't have got to Wayne's workshop, and off they went.

I need to point out that at this time Steve had told nobody what he was doing as he didn't want to get our hopes up. Once the car was in Wayne's workshop he went to work. new motor plates were fabricated and with his alignment tool it soon became obvious where the problem was.

Many hours later and a lot of metal magic and huge amount of skill Wayne managed the impossible and straightened out the chassis.

The car was then put back on the truck and bought home, a long  long day but well worth it, the following day Steve with some help braved the torrential rain and refitted our engine and trans just to double check everything lined up with our gear in the car, and it did.

So now the hard work begins, engine and gearbox back out, the chassis will be touched up as it has been banged about a bit, then the rebuild starts it will take time, how much depends on the weather, money and whatever free time Steve has. No idea how long this will take but it will get done and the car will get back to the track eventually. 

Looks like I had better start saving for some fuel and getting the bike serviced and checked out, I wonder if I can still fit in the fire suit and the car, it was always a a bit of a "Tight Fit"